The Orange Words
by CaptainBluntschli
Summary: Edmund is a synesthete--an individual who's perception associates numbers and letters with the experience of colors-- and Peter has a favorite travel game. Just some sibling fluff.


"Purple."

"And the letter 'S'? What color is that?"

"Yellow. Definitely yellow."

"And the number '9'?"

"Green."

"Ed, you never cease to amaze me."

Edmund held his horse's reins in one hand as he wiped his brow with the other. He knew it was long trip when Peter showed the slightest sign of interest in his "color quirks". However, it was to be expected. They had been out traveling for hours and Edmund knew that there were only so many topics to be touched upon before conversation became redundant. And while he would have preferred to use the time to present possible revisions to tax laws, Peter never liked to discuss numbers while riding--unless Edmund had a color to go along with it.

"What color is my name?" asked Peter with a smug smile.

"Orange," Edmund groaned. "I've told you that before."

"And your name?"

"Turquoise. And Susan's is light red and Lucy's is a powdery yellow and Tumnus is brown ochre and…"

"What about the letter 'Q'?" Peter interrupted, oblivious (or maybe not) to his brother's irritation.

Perhaps Edmund wouldn't have minded as much if Peter didn't treat it like a parlor trick.

"'Q' is green as well."

"Hmm...peculiar. You said 'O' was light pink. But a capital 'Q' is practically the same as an 'O', and yet color-wise they are vastly different."

"A 'Q' starts off pink like an 'O', but adding that little tail makes all the difference."

It was always exhausting for Edmund to explain such things to Peter. He loved his brother, but whenever Peter didn't quite understand something, it always seemed to turn into some sort of inquisition. Clenching his jaw, Edmund remembered the last long riding trip and the argument that spawned from a simple explanation differentiating 'P' from 'R'.

Peter raised his brow suspiciously. But just as he was about to speak, Edmund flipped his head around and snapped, "Enough! It might be a some sort of game to you, but it's how I see things and I'd appreciate if you'd stop mocking me."

To Edmund's surprise, Peter said nothing. He raised his head in the air and the two kings rode side by side in a thick silence, nothing but the crunch of fallen foliage beneath their horses' heavy hooves. Edmund thought about racing ahead to escape the tension, but instead he remained at the casual pace, peering over at Peter through his periphery.

Finally, Peter spoke. "You're lucky, you know."

Edmund looked at Peter curiously.

"It's no wonder you remember things the way you do. Your mind has color coded everything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Edmund asked (in a little snootier tone than what was intended.)

"Nothing. I just always assumed that the way you see colors for words and letters helps you remember things."

"Sometimes…"

"I wish things were that organized in my head. To be honest, I have a hard time remembering names," Peter admitted sheepishly.

"Really?"

Peter nodded. "It's embarrassing, to say the least. I remember faces, but names always escape me.

"Well, no one can blame you...we meet a lot of people. It's a lot to remember for anyone."

"Not for you," Peter scoffed. "Remember the last time we were guests at Anvard? Aside from Lune, I don't think I called anyone anything beyond their title. I am certain the majority of the royal court found me to be an absolute dunce."

Edmund tried his best not to laugh. Peter always seemed so confident and it was refreshing to learn that despite his collected composure, the High King was frantically grasping at straws every time he had to address someone specifically.

"A dunce? I doubt it," Edmund assured him. "If I recall correctly, I believe 'charming' was the adjective I overheard most frequently when you were out of earshot. But that's not to say that I don't think you're a dunce...which _is _an orange word."

"How fitting," Peter laughed. "Now tell me, what color is the letter 'M'?"

* * *

**A.N. Just a quick little piece of fluff for the NFFR fic challenge. Hope you're having a shpadoinkle day.**


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